My Plea On Tonight’s Debate

These may be the most futile words I’ve ever written, but I feel like I have to say them (I’m going to try and resurrect this site just long enough to post this – I have an idea about bringing this site back later, but I don’t know yet if I’ll be able to do it).

Tonight, for the benefit of anyone who has been living under a rock or who has just recently descended upon this country after perhaps a visit from another galaxy, is the night that Fix Noise will unpack the Republican Party clown car of 2016 presidential candidates (well, 10 of them anyway, including the character pictured above – Update 8/7: Oops, forgot about this) and unleash them upon the viewing public of this country and much of the rest of the world, I would guess, for the first of what I’m sure will be a series of truly obnoxious photo opportunities with a nod to “reality” TV programming disguised as actual presidential primary debates.

All debates are theater, I realize, but they should contain at least a smidgen of actual substance. However, this farce tonight won’t even have that much in the way of even a passing nod to empirical reality as experienced by much of this country. It will be nothing but a bunch of adults (perhaps chronologically, even if they don’t qualify any other way) trying to talk over each other in an effort to generate the most obnoxious possible sound bite for the purpose of obtaining some type of a polling advantage.

And God, I know so many people who are acting like they’re going to watch it for some kind of imagined entertainment value (I can’t even begin to tell you all the things I would rather do with my time than endure something like this). These are smart, compassionate people, some of whom are good neighbors and friends. I cannot possibly imagine the thought process that would lead them to this conclusion.

However (as we know), many of the “true believers” of the “party of Lincoln” will watch this and look for every possible opportunity to respond to any one (or more) of what I’m sure will be the numerous dog whistles unleashed this evening. And they will think that this means that they are actually politically informed.

And all the while, I’m sure that, somewhere, the ghost of P.T. Barnum will be laughing his ass off.

As I said previously, people, this is all theater. And I mean ALL theater. As far as I’m concerned, the fact that this garbage is being foisted on us is nothing but a sick joke. And what does it say about us that so many people are likely to tune in anyway?

(And by the way, I wish nothing but a pox on the supposedly “liberal” commentators who have done their part and more to keep this idiocy front and center. And I never thought that one of the people who would deserved to be chastised the most for this is Rachel Maddow, but that is indeed the case.)

Oh, and did I mention that this is being broadcast on Fix Noise? None of our corporate media have shown an instinct of journalistic responsibility regarding this event (it’s all about ratings and nothing else), but since they are the media wing of the Republican Party after all, it’s completely appropriate that it would be broadcast by the Roger Ailes BS Factory.

So, at long last, here is my plea: Please don’t watch this program.

Yes, I know, pissing up a rope, spitting into the ocean…use whatever expression you wish. I’m sure the whole damn hot mess will be a ratings smash anyway. However, I for one simply cannot keep quiet; I feel that I must try to do SOMETHING to discourage people from tuning in and being utterly played for saps.

What will I be doing instead? Well, there could be many things, but personally, I’m going to make some time to continue reading this excellent book (very interesting to read some of the political parallels between Democrats and Republicans then and now, by the way – you could make the case that some of the antics of Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao were patented years ago by former Republican Senator Henry Cabot Lodge in response to President Woodrow Wilson).

Ignoring these cretins tonight is the only thing they and our corporate media will understand. And should that take place somehow in large enough numbers, our governmental system of representative democracy will be substantially better for it.